Free trade has created jobs; much more is possible

I believe that much of the economic potential of free trade within the Americas remains untapped. Despite the fact that free trade within the Americas already creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in the United States, so much more is possible.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the key that will unlock that potential is the creation of a free trade area for all the Americas.

Source: Speech at the Council of the Americas’ Conference
, May 1, 2000

Supports Pan-American Free Trade Agreement

It has been widely accepted among those who recognize the importance of free trade to the United States’ future that the next logical step after NAFTA is the creation of a Pan-American Free Trade Agreement. Unfortunately, however, the political dynamics
in Washington over the past seven years have kept that goal out of reach. I believe, however, that the inevitable cannot be put off forever. It is becoming increasingly clear that such an agreement cannot be forestalled.

Source: Speech at the Council of the Americas’ Conference
, May 1, 2000

Foreign trade is key to growing the economy

As governor of New Jersey, I have made the promotion of foreign trade a priority. In New Jersey we are hard at work preparing our state for the increased competition that globalization will bring. We cannot ignore the conditions in which
people labor in the countries with which we trade. But is staying aloof from a country’s troubling labor conditions by shutting down trade better than ignoring those conditions while promoting trade? I don’t think so.

Source: Speech to the Council of the Americas’ Conference
, May 1, 2000